Mangrove Creek Dam, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Mangrove Creek Dam is the primary reservoir
for water supply
to residents of the New South Wales Central Coast, operated by the Gosford/Wyong Councils' Water Authority, a joint operation of the City of Gosford and Wyong Shire. It is formed by impounding the headwaters of Mangrove Creek
, a tributary of the Hawkesbury River
.
It was built in 1981 by the NSW State Government's Department of Public Works & Services (now called NSW Office of Public Works & Services) and was managed by them.
It was handed over to the Gosford/Wyong Councils' Water Authority for full management, including staff recruitment, in 1987.
The dam has the following statistics:
The dam, which serves over a quarter of a million residents of the Central Coast, is a popular day trip
destination for both locals and tourists
for barbecue
s and picnic
s, taking about 45 minutes to reach by car from Gosford.
The dam was nearing a critically low point of capacity, as of January 2007, at 13.3. Local government officials are, and have been for a while, taking drastic measures to conserve water and ensure ongoing supply to the region's residents and vital tourism industry. The region currently has level 2 water restrictions in place (http://www.gwcwater.nsw.gov.au/index.php/restrictions) and has been piping water from Newcastle (to the North) for some time. A larger diameter pipeline has just been completed linking the Central Coast to the Hunter water system where there is surplus water available. The Mardi to Mangrove Link Project will pump raw water from Mardi Dam to Mangrove Creek Dam, starting mid 2011 . An array of mobile desalination
plants is in the pre-construction stage. Level 4 restrictions were in place until June 2009, and could be resurrected if the Central Coast has the same dire water problems again
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
for water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
to residents of the New South Wales Central Coast, operated by the Gosford/Wyong Councils' Water Authority, a joint operation of the City of Gosford and Wyong Shire. It is formed by impounding the headwaters of Mangrove Creek
Mangrove Creek (New South Wales)
Mangrove Creek is a tributary of the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia.Mangrove Creek rises about to the south-west of Mount McQuiod. The headwaters of the creek are impounded by the Mangrove Creek Dam, which forms a major part of the water supply to the New South Wales Central Coast...
, a tributary of the Hawkesbury River
Hawkesbury River
The Hawkesbury River, also known as Deerubbun, is one of the major rivers of the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its tributaries virtually encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney.-Geography:-Course:...
.
It was built in 1981 by the NSW State Government's Department of Public Works & Services (now called NSW Office of Public Works & Services) and was managed by them.
It was handed over to the Gosford/Wyong Councils' Water Authority for full management, including staff recruitment, in 1987.
The dam has the following statistics:
- Main Wall Height is 80m
- Storage Capacity of 190 000ML
- Maximum Water Depth of 65m
The dam, which serves over a quarter of a million residents of the Central Coast, is a popular day trip
Day-tripper
A day-tripper is a person who visits a tourist destination or visitor attraction from his/her home and returns home on the same day.- Definition :In other words, this excursion does not involve a night away from home such as experienced on a holiday...
destination for both locals and tourists
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
for barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
s and picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
s, taking about 45 minutes to reach by car from Gosford.
The dam was nearing a critically low point of capacity, as of January 2007, at 13.3. Local government officials are, and have been for a while, taking drastic measures to conserve water and ensure ongoing supply to the region's residents and vital tourism industry. The region currently has level 2 water restrictions in place (http://www.gwcwater.nsw.gov.au/index.php/restrictions) and has been piping water from Newcastle (to the North) for some time. A larger diameter pipeline has just been completed linking the Central Coast to the Hunter water system where there is surplus water available. The Mardi to Mangrove Link Project will pump raw water from Mardi Dam to Mangrove Creek Dam, starting mid 2011 . An array of mobile desalination
Desalination
Desalination, desalinization, or desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water...
plants is in the pre-construction stage. Level 4 restrictions were in place until June 2009, and could be resurrected if the Central Coast has the same dire water problems again